Improvement in corn and cane harvesters



UNITED STATI-3s' PATENT l GFFICE.

H. D. Meel-lonen AND D. s. eenen, or MoRGANTowN, VIRGINIA.

lMPROVENlENTlN CORN AND CANE HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 24,477, dated June 21,1859.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, H. D. MOGEORGE and D. S. GREEK, of Morgantown, inthe county of Monongalia and State of Virginia, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in (Jorn and Gane Harvesters; and we dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, which represents a-perspective view of said cane-harvester.

The nature of our invention relates to the application of verticalknives to the deliver- -ing apparatus of corn or caney harvesters forthe purpose of cutting the cane into two or more pieces beforeit isdropped to the ground.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, wewill proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A and B represent four longitudinal timbers, which are bolted orotherwise secured to the cross-piece C, thus constituting the frame ofthe machine.

D represents the driving-wheels, one ofwhich only is represented in thedrawing.

E represents a cogged wheel, which is secured to one of thedriving-wheels, and which meshes into the pinion F on shaft al, to whichshaft the cam-wheel G is also secured.

b represents the stationary knives of the cutting apparatus for cuttingthe cane. They are secured to the outer beams, A.

c represents the vibrating knives, working under and against the knivesb. The twobars d and g of the knivesc are coupled together by means of abolt, It, which passes through the slots f of the cutter-bars d and g.

The frames A, to which the stationary cutters b are secured, can be soadjusted on the crosspiece C, to which it is bolted, that their frontends may be contracted or distended to adjust them to different widthsof rows, and the movable cutters can be adjusted accordingly by thearrangement ot' the bolt It, which passes through the slotsf.

H is a lever, which is pivoted ati to the frame of the machine, and onearm of which is secured to the bolt h, while the end of the other armreaches into the zigzag grooves of the cam-wheel G, which thus operatesthe cutting apparatus.

K represents two horizontal reels, the shafts L of which are vertical,and 'which receive a rotary motion by means ofthe belts la', which areoperated through the cam-wheel G, and which pass around the pulleys M.The arms of thereels, as they rotate, bend the cane toward the cuttingapparatus and cause it to pass between the guide-rods N and O.

P is a vertical metal frame, which is secured to the cross-piece (l.Itis formed on each side with inclines u, onto which the out cane falls,and which terminate in the converging cutters o. l

Q is a vibrating cutter-bar, the knives p of which operate upon thestationary knives to cut the fallen cane into two or more pieces.l

The vibrating knife Q is operated from the camwheel G by means ofthelever R, Which has its fulcrum on one side of the cross-piece C, and

which is pivoted at q' to the cutter-bar Q, while the end rof said leverplays in thecam-groove of the cam-wheel G.

S represents the shafts of two horizon tal cradies, which are providedwith arms m, onto which the cut cane falls, and by which it isdischarged from the machine.

T represents inclined guide-pieces, which' guide the falling cane ontothe cradles S. The lower ends of the guide-pieces T reach down to theshafts S, and thus cause all the fallen cane to accumulate on one sideof said shafts, or on those arms which are pointed toward the frames B.

s is a horizontal rod, which can turn in its bearings t. The curved endof this rod is operated at each revolution of the driving-wheel D by apin, u, which causes said rod to turn on its bearings, and thereby totrip the pin e of the shaft S, which, while the cane is accumulating onthe horizontal cradles, was supported by the bentvarm w, and the cane isthus discharged, while the rod s is carried back to its originalposition by the action of spring .e upon its curved end.

U represents the tongue ot' the machine, to which the team is hitched.It is hinged at y to the cross-piece C, and it is fastened between thebraces Z, wherelits position can be adjusted by means oftheadjusting-holes l 2 3, dre., which thus afford the means to regulate theheight of the machine.

The operation of this machine is as follows:

As the machine is moved over the field the l driving-wheels D cause theshaft a to revolve bythe action of the pinions E and F, and consequentlythe reels K, horizontal knives c b, and vertical knives op are operated.The cane is carried by the reels Kin between the guiderods N O, and iscut o by the cutters c b, and the stalks fall onto the inclines u andbetween the cutters o p, by which they are cut in two. They then dropdown onto the reels S', and are caused to accumulate on the arms of saidreels, but only on one side of the shafts S, by the action of theguide-pieces T. As soon as the pin u ou wheel D turns the shaft S thepin t is tripped, and the weight of thestalks, bej ing on one side ofthe shafts S, turn said shafts and the cut stalks dropto the ground.

1f it is desired to cut the stalks in more than twopieces, a number ofvertical cutters has to be'used accordingly.

Having thus fully described the nature of our invention, what we claimtherein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Providing a corn or cane harvester with a vertical reciprocating cuttingapparatus for the purpose of cutting the stalks into two or more pieces,substantially in the manner herein described.

H. D. MCGEORGE. D. sfGREER. Witnesses:

T. P. REAY, G. NIMAN.

